The Child Protection Charity has called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to introduce government legislation on online harms, which is designed to combat dangerous online activity and sanction rogue tech companies that are not doing enough to address the problem. Freedom of Information responses from 38 police forces in England and Wales show that 1,220 “child sexual contact” crimes were recorded in the first three months of lockdown. Facebook-owned apps (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp) were used in 51 percent of cases where communication was registered. Snapchat was used in 20 percent of cases where data was available. The NSPCC also found that crimes increased annually in the three years prior to the lockdown. In total, police recorded 12,925 violations in England and Wales from April 2017 to March 2020, as experts said poorly designed social media sites put children at risk. The numbers reveal how Instagram is increasingly being exploited by criminals. It was used in 37 percent of cases where the platform was registered, compared to 29 percent in the previous three years. The NSPCC warned that the pandemic has created "a perfect storm for cybercriminals" and they believe these numbers could mark the beginning of a boom in cyber-grooming crime. As coronavirus restrictions continue across the UK, the charity said the risk of online abuse will continue to rise, and many other crimes may emerge when children report them at school. NSPCC urged Johnson to ensure that companies and designated directors can be held criminally responsible for failing to protect children from avoidable harm and abuse. It also wants the upcoming Internet damage bill to force companies to consider child protection when designing their sites to prevent harm rather than responding once the harm occurs. But she warns that strong deterrence is needed to get some of the world's largest companies to stand up and listen, and is concerned that the government may not go far enough. NSPCC CEO Peter Wanlis said: “Families have always paid for the big technology’s failure to protect children from abuse, but the prime minister has the opportunity to turn the tide and put the responsibility on companies to remove the mess they've created. "As the pandemic worsens the threat children face online, bold and ambitious action is needed in the form of a world-leading Internet damage bill." "That means strict legislation on crimes against children committed on the Internet and regulations that hold technology companies and their bosses financially and criminally responsible if they continue to turn a blind eye to the harm that can be completely avoided." Police Chief Simon Bailey, who leads the Council of Chiefs of National Police for Child Protection, added, "In a world of increasing digital interdependence, perpetrators of child abuse do more of their online activities. Perpetrators use the Internet to access and share images of child abuse, and to communicate with and care for children directly. ". Although it is difficult to regulate online, it is clearly the only way to ensure that tech and social media companies take their responsibilities seriously. The White Paper on Harms on the Internet, published in February 2020, proposes a new regulatory framework and duty of care that can be of real benefit in combating child exploitation. In June, a number of tech companies, including Facebook, Google and Twitter, announced a new joint venture designed to better deal with child sexual abuse content online.

 

The NSPCC said the coronavirus pandemic has created a "perfect storm" for online child abuse with cases rising rapidly since March.

 

 The Child Protection Charity has called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to introduce government legislation on online harms, which is designed to combat dangerous online activity and sanction rogue tech companies that are not doing enough to address the problem.

Freedom of Information responses from 38 police forces in England and Wales show that 1,220 “child sexual contact” crimes were recorded in the first three months of lockdown.

Facebook-owned apps (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp) were used in 51 percent of cases where communication was registered. Snapchat was used in 20 percent of cases where data was available.

The NSPCC also found that crimes increased annually in the three years prior to the lockdown.

In total, police recorded 12,925 violations in England and Wales from April 2017 to March 2020, as experts said poorly designed social media sites put children at risk.

The numbers reveal how Instagram is increasingly being exploited by criminals. It was used in 37 percent of cases where the platform was registered, compared to 29 percent in the previous three years.

The NSPCC warned that the pandemic has created "a perfect storm for cybercriminals" and they believe these numbers could mark the beginning of a boom in cyber-grooming crime. As coronavirus restrictions continue across the UK, the charity said the risk of online abuse will continue to rise, and many other crimes may emerge when children report them at school.

NSPCC urged Johnson to ensure that companies and designated directors can be held criminally responsible for failing to protect children from avoidable harm and abuse. It also wants the upcoming Internet damage bill to force companies to consider child protection when designing their sites to prevent harm rather than responding once the harm occurs.

But she warns that strong deterrence is needed to get some of the world's largest companies to stand up and listen, and is concerned that the government may not go far enough.

NSPCC CEO Peter Wanlis said: “Families have always paid for the big technology’s failure to protect children from abuse, but the prime minister has the opportunity to turn the tide and put the responsibility on companies to remove the mess they've created.

"As the pandemic worsens the threat children face online, bold and ambitious action is needed in the form of a world-leading Internet damage bill."

"That means strict legislation on crimes against children committed on the Internet and regulations that hold technology companies and their bosses financially and criminally responsible if they continue to turn a blind eye to the harm that can be completely avoided."

Police Chief Simon Bailey, who leads the Council of Chiefs of National Police for Child Protection, added, "In a world of increasing digital interdependence, perpetrators of child abuse do more of their online activities. Perpetrators use the Internet to access and share images of child abuse, and to communicate with and care for children directly. ".

Although it is difficult to regulate online, it is clearly the only way to ensure that tech and social media companies take their responsibilities seriously. The White Paper on Harms on the Internet, published in February 2020, proposes a new regulatory framework and duty of care that can be of real benefit in combating child exploitation.

In June, a number of tech companies, including Facebook, Google and Twitter, announced a new joint venture designed to better deal with child sexual abuse content online.